Community Grants Programme

At Dying Matters, we believe that conversations start in communities. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to starting conversations about death and grief, and different things work in different places.

Sparking conversations

The Dying Matters Community Grants Programme funds new and creative ways to spark those important conversations in communities across the UK. The grant programme focusses on working with people who we know are least likely to have already had access to existing models of support.

Applications for the programme are now open up until 24th November 2023. Find application details here.

Applications should be made by hospices in partnership with an artist, arts charity, community centre, hub or group.

This fund is specifically designed to support creative, innovative arts projects which adopt a new and different approach to opening up conversations about death and dying. From previous rounds of the programme, we know that arts groups can bring a fresh perspective and help us to work with groups who we know historically are less well served.

The nature of your partnership will take different forms based on different project scopes. But in your application, we want to see evidence of how your engagement of a project partner will help you and your team to take a different approach, reaching different groups.

In particular, the partner should have experience of working with the group of people the project is designed to work with.

Given the level of funding, we don’t expect at application stage that you will have a fully formalised partnership agreement. We would like to see an identified arts/community partner, and how you intend to work with them.
All Hospice UK member hospices are eligible to apply. If you are unsure if your desired partner is suitable, you can email r.wroe@hospiceuk.org to check.

If you are an individual artist, arts engaged charity or community group and are interested in this grants programme, share this with your local hospice indicating that you’d be interested in working with them.

Find your local hospice with our Hospice Care Finder.
There is no right or wrong, but we have a particular focus on community-led arts and culture engagement projects that reach new and diverse audiences, with a particular focus on inequalities.

We want to see how you are reaching defined groups that are less likely to be reached by hospice care and the Dying Matters campaign. We will also be interested in looking at how you approach the subject of death in an innovative and culturally relevant way. This is where the project partner can help.

Examples of projects funded in previous grant rounds include:
- An interactive theatre piece that supports people living with disabilities to think about death and grief
- Public sculpture that explores grief with a minoritised community
- Creative workshops and resulting exhibition that explores grief with people living in rural areas
- A comedy night exploring death with LQBTQ+ communities
- Creative writing workshops on death and grief with imprisoned people
- Ceramics courses exploring legacy and grief with people experiencing homelessness
- Public art installation made with people living in poverty
Hospice UK's research has shown that certain groups are less likely to benefit from hospice care. By extension, we know that some communities are less likely to be reached by the Dying Matters campaign, and more generally, are less likely to engage in positive conversations about death and dying.

As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, we therefore require that grant applications demonstrate how they will reach one of the following groups, as identified in Hospice UK's report on equality of access on equality in end of life care:
- Minoritised communities
- People experiencing homelessness
- Imprisoned people
- LGBTQ+ people
- People living in remote and rural areas
- People living in poverty, deprivation and with lower socioeconomic status
- People living with learning disabilities.
Unfortunately, we are not able to fund the following:
- Sponsorship or fundraising events, promotional videos or films
- Projects that have already started prior to your application (though if you ran a clearly identified pilot phase, you're not precluded from making an application to develop it further)
- Groups operating overseas
- Individuals, groups, or charities that are not partnering with a hospice for the project
- Already well-established activities on death and dying such as Death Cafes or workshops on Advance Care Planning (as these activities are already common)
- Activities taking place in formal healthcare settings
If you are an individual artist, arts engaged charity or community group and are interested in this grants programme, share this with your local hospice indicating that you’d be interested in working with them.

Find your local hospice with our Hospice Care Finder.
The applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria and shortlisted, those shortlisted may be asked to submit additional information to support their application. If further information is required, a member of the programme staff will request it.

During the second stage, all shortlisted applications will be considered by the Dying Matters Grants Panel, led by Dying Matters Ambassador Simon Blake OBE and Dr Mike Miller, Chair of Hospice UK’s Grants Committee - along with others with expertise in community engagement and equality, diversity and inclusion work.
As a condition of your grant, you will be required to send us a final evaluation form at the end of the grant funded period of your project.

You will be asked for further information about what you have achieved and what impact the work has had on the subject of death in an innovative and culturally relevant way through arts and culture. We will send you a template form nearer the time for you to complete.
Dignity Funerals is a long-term supporter of the Dying Matters campaign, and has made a donation to fund this Community Grants Programme.

Although helping to make these grants happen through their funding, Dignity Funerals is not involved in shortlisting or decision-making when it comes to allocating our grants.

All shortlisted applications will be considered by the Dying Matters Grants Panel, led by Dying Matters Ambassador, Simon Blake OBE and Dr Mike Miller, Chair of Hospice UK’s Grants Committee - along with others with expertise in community engagement and equality, diversity and inclusion work.